OCT 19

Colossians 1:19
Memorise Colossians 1:19
“…that in him should all fullness dwell”

What does the phrase “that in him should all fullness dwell” mean? Paul later uses a similar phrase in Colossians 2:9, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily”, and there Paul emphasises that Christ is fully God. Here in Colossians 1:19, the usage of the word “fullness” simply means that Christ is all sufficient for whatever the church needs. Lest we think that God the Father’s status is usurped by Christ having the preeminence in the eyes of men, Colossians 1:19 starts with the phrase “For it pleased the Father”, meaning it is God the Father who first gave this preeminence to Christ His Son to do His salvific work. Without Christ, there is no salvation, no gospel, no church. Only through His death and resurrection could the church begin, and then spread the gospel to the uttermost parts of the world, even to the island of Singapore. It is God’s plan that through Christ the local church is sustained; souls are saved and believers grow in the grace and knowledge of God. We bear the name Christian because we recognise that Christ is all sufficient for not only our salvation but also sufficient for all our needs. The early church martyrs carried this name to their death, believing that Christ would give all the grace that they needed to suffer all trials they were called to bear and to eventually die for His sake. They knew that Christ had risen from the dead, and trusted they too would be resurrected after death, just as He has promised.

If the early church martyrs trusted that Christ was all sufficient for them even to face the specter of death, surely we should likewise trust Him to fully meet all our needs and to overcome the relatively lesser trials that life throws our way. If we do not believe that He is all sufficient, then who do we really trust? Ourselves? The people around us? That is robbing God of His glory! You may see your parents earning money to put food on the table, or see yourself achieving good exam results, but fail to acknowledge that all this comes from God. Likewise you might despair that you do not have enough money or good enough results, and fail to acknowledge His grace is all sufficient for your needs. Dear teen, don’t have such weak faith in Christ, He whom God Himself has deemed to be all sufficient for us.

Thought: Should only full time workers trust God to provide everything?
Prayer: He is my everything, He is my all, He is my everything both great and small!